Serving spirits in a warming concoction opens the doors to more satisfying beverages during the increasingly extreme seasons, and many top bars have figured this out. While chilled classics like margaritas and manhattans are never truly out of season, offering hot cocktails creates a cozy environment that invites guests to linger and stay out of the cold.

Ice wine is one of the most labor intensive dessert wines to produce. Traditionally the grapes are left on the vine until a deep winter freeze when they are night harvested. By harvesting the grapes when frozen, it’s possible to extract the frozen water from the rest of the grape, leaving behind a highly concentrated juice from which the wine is made. The wines are sweet with heady aromas and enjoyed in modest portions. In 2018 the wine judges had the pleasure of rating 4 ice wines, all earning high scores.

There are many reasons to enter and aspects of our competition that make all the difference. Among them is our incredible line up of world class judges, who are the undisputed leaders in the worldwide spirits industry. We also have our own dedicated top of the line facility that was specifically designed for beverage competitions. Another popular and unique benefit is the cocktail component of USC, which offers your spirit another chance to impress.

Even though Greek wine is referenced throughout history, it’s easy to overlook the impressive quality of what is coming out of Greece. This high scoring wine from 2018’s Ultimate Wine Competition, Zacharias Assyrtiko 2017, comes from the Peloponnese region and is made from the white wine grape assyrtiko. Rated 90 Points by the wine judges, it was one of the top scoring Greek wines.